Farmers are called to parade in tractors on Wednesday morning in Paris, to denounce “
the disappearance
” of French agricultural production due to the reduction in the number of pesticides available to them.
The first call to demonstrate was issued a few days ago by the Parisian Grand Basin section of the FNSEA, which covers 12 cereal departments in northern France, and by the specialized branch of the Federation in the production of sugar beets ( CGB).
Friday evening, the National Federation relays and amplifies the movement, calling on “
its entire network and all of its sectors to mobilize from February 8 in Paris and until February 20 throughout France
”.
Farmers plan to converge in tractors and coaches from Porte de Versailles, in the south of Paris, to the Esplanade des Invalides, near the National Assembly and the Ministry of Agriculture.
To read also"Urban agriculture, plant walks, garish benches: ideology makes Paris ugly"
“
It was practical for storing tractors but above all it is a symbol because Napoleon (buried at the Invalides) had imported beets from Poland to make France independent in sugar and must be turning in his grave today
,” said to AFP Damien Greffin, president of the Parisian FNSEA Grand Bassin and farmer in Essonne.
According to him, nearly 900 tractors have already announced their participation in the movement.
“French agriculture will disappear”
The government decided on January 23 to abandon the authorization of neonicotinoid insecticides for the cultivation of sugar beet, following a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union making any derogation illegal.
These substances, toxic to bees and banned since 2018, had benefited in France from a derogation for two years, which allowed them to be applied preventively to sugar beet seeds - to protect them from jaundice, a viral disease threatening yields.
The subject of neonicotinoids is "
the tip of the iceberg
", says Damien Greffin, who cites the ban on the insecticide phosmet, which "
compromises
" the cultivation of cherries, or that of a weedkiller for endives.
We are witnessing, according to him, a “
hecatomb of the agricultural sectors one after the other (…) at this rate, French agriculture will disappear
”.
While affirming that there is “
no question of making the apology of phytosanitary products
”, he is in favor of a reintroduction of neonicotinoids “
as long as there is no other solution
”.
For the FNSEA, it is “
food sovereignty
”, “
displayed as a government priority
”, which is at stake. The union calls on the executive to “
move from rhetoric to action
”.